Stouse Stands Out With Fujifilm Screen Inks and Inca OnsetM Digital Inkjet Press
Dave Christensen, chief technology officer, at the entrance to Stouse's 180,000-sq.-ft. facility near Kansas City, Kansas.
Stouse, LLC, a New Century, Kan.-based print services provider offering digital, screen, and flexographic printing stands out with Fujifilm screen inks and the Inca OnsetM, a small-format, high quality digital printer for the commercial, display graphics, packaging and industrial print markets.
“We are not just a printer, we are a trusted partner with a quality operation,” said Dave Christensen, chief technology officer, Stouse, LLC. “We’re trade-only, meaning our customer base is involved in reselling a product. Building relationships that extend beyond just a sale is the difference between getting the job done, and getting the job done right.”
Stouse, LLC’s clients highlight a wide range of industries, including automotive, healthcare, restaurants, outdoor sports, real estate, and schools.
Stouse’s ‘Customer First’ strategy is engrained into the philosophy of the 400-plus employees that help run three shifts, five days a week at the 180,000-sq.-ft. facility near Kansas City, Kan. Having an up close and personal relationship with their customers is something that the Stouse team takes to heart, which is highlighted by assuring all incoming calls during normal business hours are answered live; customers never get an automated prompt.
Stouse, which offers screen, digital and flexographic printing, is also driven by the success of its resources, which include Fujifilm’s AMP and PEL screen inks. The products output on a variety of substrates, including polypropylene, polystyrene, and white vinyl.
When it comes to screen ink, conversations typically center on sheets per gallon and square feet per gallon and white ink, which make the topic perfect for the Stouse team.
“We are averaging 2,500 sq. ft. a gallon,” Christensen says. “And Fujifilm’s white ink is excellent, very opaque. We use a lot of white ink on chromes and clear products where we want a barrier or a real-white background to stand out.”
Fujifilm screen inks made in America
“To source our screen inks from the U.S., knowing we are supporting American jobs, makes everyone here proud,” said Christensen. “Fujifilm stands behind their products, and our organization views Fujifilm as a partner, because (Fujifilm) helps support us to make sure we consistently have a great product.”
Adding innovative digital inkjet technology to its already successful formula
“Ink adhesion onto polypropylene has traditionally been hard to do, but with the OnsetM it has solved our problems; the adhesion is great and this is specifically why we purchased the OnsetM,” says Christensen. “The registration is perfect and our two-sided output is spot-on; absolutely no issues sheet-to-sheet, front-to-back.”
This B1 (27.8x 39.4˝) format inkjet printer is robustly designed to output short run jobs with remarkable print quality. Using Fujifilm Uvijet inks and FUJIFILM Dimatix printheads, the OnsetM produces vibrant colors, smooth gradients and fine text that rivals offset print. OnsetM is built for production and reliability. The print quality of OnsetM is driven by Inca’s intelligent features for precise ink droplet placement, coupled with robust Dimatix printheads configured in the printer. The small seven picoliter ink drop produces crisp 4 pt. text and smooth color transitions ideal for close viewing distances, delivering a solution for short run jobs and fast turnaround.
Outdoor signage is a key product for Stouse, and the OnsetM provides the quality output required by clients, as well as outdoor exposure requirements.
“We perform outdoor durability tests often, and the output from the OnsetM offers really impressive (outdoor) durability,” adds Christensen. “Everyone thinks the quality is beautiful, and stands up to the elements. With the OnsetM we are now able to output B1-size sheets on any substrate.”
Stouse, LLC was founded as Stouse Sign Service in the early 1950s, where it specialized in sign painting and billboards. In 1977, the company was purchased and the product line was expanded to include bumper stickers and other screen-printed products.
Over the years, spurred on by the success of its screen and flexo-printed products, Stouse made an addition that more than doubled the facility’s size (in 1992 and again in 1996). As technology and ink durability improved, Stouse continued its growth surge, adding four forms of digital printing.
“For more than 40 years, Stouse has been perfecting its craft,” Christensen says. “It is about creating partnerships with our resellers that are built on trust.”
The preceding press release was provided by a company unaffiliated with Printing Impressions. The views expressed within do not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of the staff of Printing Impressions.
